Dandelions as Food

Cornell

4*P'T STA-OO^

ading Courses

COURSE FOR THE FARM HOME

PUBLISHED BY THE NEW YORK STATE COLLEGE
OF AGRICULTURE AT CORNELL UNIVERSITY

VOLUME V

ITHACA, NEW YORK, MAY, 1916

NUMBER 105

DANDELIONS AS FOOD

LUCILE BREWER AND HELEN CANON

MAKING SALAD OF CANNED DANDELIONS

Published and distributed in furtherance of the purposes provided for in the
Act of Congress of May 8, 1914

CORNELL READING COURSES

PUBLISHED BY THE NEW YORK STATE COLLEGE
OF AGRICULTURE AT CORNELL UNIVERSITY

BEVERLY T. GALLOWAY, DEAN OF THE COLLEGE

SUPERVISORS, COURSE FOR
THE FARM HOME

MARTHA VAN RENSSELAER
FLORA ROSE

DANDELIONS AS FOOD

Lucile Brewer and Helen Canon

How like a prodigal doth Nature seem,
When thou, for all thy gold, so common art!

James Russell Lowell

N a lawn dandelions are out of place, just as spinach
or rhubarb would be. Their affinity for lawns has
caused them to fall into ill repute; they have truly
been a " lion's tooth " in the flesh of the gardener.

Children who are paid by their parents to cut out
the pests may add to their incomes by selling the
tops for food; but in general the best plants are found
in fields or along ditches. In Europe generally and
in this country to a limited extent near certain
large cities, dandelions are raised as a truck crop.
To many persons their peculiar flavor is very pleasing, and as cooked
greens or salad they are considered a great delicacy.

WHY DANDELIONS ARE A GOOD FOOD

The subject of balanced meals is receiving considerable attention at
present. Too often, however, the impression is received that a balanced
meal is one that includes protein, fat, and carbohydrate in right proportion.
This is true as far as it goes, but experiments, as well as experience, show
that there are other requirements for a balanced ration. For example,
the body needs certain foodstuffs that both furnish it with building
material and help to regulate its processes ; in other words, the body must
be supplied with ash constituents, or mineral matter.

It has long been known that iron is necessary to maintain the body in a
state of health and that it is furnished in such foods as eggs, legumes, cereals,
fruits, vegetables, and meats. As sources of iron, it is said that the green
vegetables are perhaps the most important of all foods. It is commonly
known that spinach contains a relatively large proportion of iron, but it is
not generally recognized that dandelions are also of value in this respect.
Like other green vegetables, dandelion greens cannot be counted on to
furnish the necessary amounts of fuel and building material. But it has
been pointed out that this is an advantage, because they may be added
to the more staple and usual foods as a supplement instead of being sub-
stituted for them.

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It is customary in the spring, when both physical and mental vitality
is low, to take an iron tonic. In cases where this is necessary, it should
be remembered that the iron in foods is used to much better advantage
than is medicinal iron. Furthermore, when medicinal iron is prescribed,
its effect is increased by the presence of an abundance of food iron.

In proportion to the cost, fruits and vegetables have been found to fur-
nish much more iron than do meats and fish, and the iron of fruits and
vegetables is more completely available for nutrition than is the iron of
meats. Therefore, since tonics are expensive and dandelions may be had
for the cutting, it would seem to be poor economy, indeed, to hold to the
tradition in many households of giving the children a spring tonic to keep
their blood in good condition.

The liberal use of fruits and vegetables is to be recommended for women
and children especially, because for proper maintenance and for growth
they require more food iron in proportion to their food requirements than
do men.

Dandelions, like other green vegetables, have a mild laxative tendency
due largely to their roughage, which is the term applied to the substance
that is not affected by the digestive juices. These bulky foods are desir-
able in any good diet as aids in preventing putrefaction in the lower part
of the intestinal tract. It has been shown that anaemia is closely con-
nected with excessive intestinal putrefaction; consequently, foods that
tend to prevent putrefaction in this locality play an important part in
keeping the blood in good condition,

Aside from the nutritive value already mentioned, dandelion greens
are a good addition to the diet for the sake of variety and because of their
flavor, which is pleasing to many persons.

WHEN TO GATHER DANDELIONS

The dandelion has a long, stout taproot that may extend twenty inches
or more into the ground. For this reason it is an exceedingly hardy plant;
drought does not affect it.

A certain organism that is generally present in the plant goes into a
resting stage if there is a lack of moisture, and in this stage it is especially
resistant to any agency that might destroy its life. This same organism
causes the greens to spoil when they are canned, unless it is killed by the
heat during the canning process. From this brief explanation, it may be
seen that in a moist season, canned dandelion greens are less likely to spoil
than in a dry season. For the same reason, dandelions gathered after a
rain or early in the morning while they are still damp with dew, are best
for canning. The earlier in the season that dandelions are canned, the

• Dandelions as Food

Si

less likely it is that this troublesome organism has put on its defensive
armor against drought and, of greater importance to the housekeeper,
against heat.

The young leaves are always more tender than the old ones, and they
keep their color better.

Every reason seems to point, therefore, to the advisability of gathering
dandelions, especially for canning, in the early part of the season.

HOW TO GATHER DANDELIONS

Near the surface of the ground, the dandelion root is topped by a crown
from which the leaves radiate. The flavor of this crown is exceedingly
good, somewhat resembling asparagus. Even if the leaves are old, the
crown is good. When the leaves are pulled, the crown is left behind;
therefore, when dandelion greens are gathered they should always be cut,
not pulled, in order that the crown may be obtained.

The imperfect outside leaves should be discarded at the time of gathering,
because they are generally tougher than the others, and there can be no
uniformity in the cooking if they are allowed to remain in the lot.

PREPARATION FOR COOKING

Dandelion greens are as difficult to clean as other greens. They should
be plunged into a deep pan or bucket full of cold water and should be
rubbed thoroughly between the hands. If the leaves are to be used fresh
and uncut as a salad, care should be taken to prevent breaking them.
They should be lifted from the first water and washed in clean water in
the same manner at least three more times. They should then be drained
and wrapped in a damp cloth, if they are not to be used immediately.

COOKING

On account of their bitter flavor, it is generally best to blanch dandelions,
whether they are to be canned or only cooked. An easy way of doing this
is to tie the leaves in a large piece of cheesecloth, plunge them into boil-
ing water, and let them boil for five minutes. They should then be removed,
plunged into cold water, and drained.

If they are to be cooked for immediate use, they should be cut or chopped,
placed in a kettle, covered with boiling water, and allowed to cook until
they are tender, generally from fifteen to twenty minutes.

CANNING

For canning, dandelion greens should be washed and blanched as just
described. It is ordinarily better to cut or chop the greens before canning

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them, because they are then ready for use when removed from the jars.
A slice or two of bacon may be added to each jar for flavor. The greens
should be packed solidly into the jars, one-half teaspoonful of salt added
to each pint jar, and the jar filled with boiling water. Rubbers of a good
quality should be used. The rubbers and the lids should be placed on
the jars and the wire clamp adjusted but not snapped into place.

The jars should then be placed on a rack in the canner, which may be a
boiler or a pressure canner. The boiler, which may be a wash boiler, a
dishpan, a sap pail, or any such utensil available in the home, should be
fitted with a false bottom to keep the jars from breaking. The pressure
canner is less common because it is more expensive than the ordinary
canning apparatus, but it saves time, labor, and heat.

Sufficient hot water should be poured around the jars to reach to the
shoulders. The water should not be hot enough to break the jars, but the
hotter it is, the less time is required to bring it to the boiling point. The
boiler should be covered, the water brought to the boiling point, and the
jars boiled for one hour after the water begins to boil.

The clamps should then be fastened down, and the jars should be removed
from the boiler, inverted on a cloth, and covered in order to prevent the
cracking of the glass by drafts.

The next day the clamps should be loosened, and the jars should be
returned to the boiler as before directed and boiled for one hour, the clamps
being fastened down, as before, at the end of the hour. The same direc-
tions given for the first day should be followed for removing and cooling
the jars.

On the third day the process of the second day should be repeated.

The sealing of the jars may be tested after several days by loosening
the clamp and lifting the jar by the edge of the glass cover. If the seal
is perfect, the cover will not come off. The jars should be stored in a cool,
dark place in order that the greens may not fade.

The greens may be boiled for an hour and a half on one day only, but
the three-days method insures the keeping of the product and for this reason
is generally worth the extra time and trouble it requires. The long period
for one day only, causes the greens to fade more than does the three-days
method, and the flavor is thought by some persons not to be so good.
The alternate heating and cooling required by the three-days method is
more favorable to the destruction of the organism that causes spoiling than
is the one long period of heat. If a five-pound pressure canner is used, one
period of one hour is generally sufficient to kill the destructive organism.

For a more detailed discussion of canning, the reader is referred to Can-
ning Clubs in New York State. — Parts II and III, the Cornell Reading
Course for the Farm Home.

Dandelions as Food

83

RECIPES
DANDELION SOUP

1 cupful dandelion pulp 1 cupful milk

1 tablespoonful butter Salt and pepper

1 tablespoonful flour Yolk of hard-cooked egg

Make a white sauce, and add to it the dandelion pulp. Just before
serving the soup add the yolk of egg, which has been pressed through
a sieve.

DANDELION TIMBALES

2 eggs, beaten | teaspoonful pepper

1} cupfuls milk 1 teaspoonful onion juice

2 tablespoonfuls melted butter 1 cupful chopped cooked dandelion

f teaspoonful salt greens

FlG. 14. DANDELION TIMBALES

Mix the ingredients in the order given. Turn the mixture into but-
tered molds, place the molds in a pan of hot water, and bake the timbales
in a moderate oven until they are firm. Remove them from the molds,
and serve them with tomato sauce.

TOMATO SAUCE

1 tablespoonful butter 1 teaspoonful onion juice

1 tablespoonful flour Salt and pepper

1 cupful strained tomatoes

Melt the butter, add the flour, and stir the mixture until it is smooth.
Add the liquid and the seasoning, and cook the mixture until it is smooth
and thick, stirring it all the time. Serve it at once.

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DANDELIONS AND TOMATO SAUCE

2 tablespoonfuls butter Cooked dandelions

2 tablespoonfuls flour Salt and pepper

| cupful strained tomatoes

Make a tomato sauce of the first three ingredients. Add the greens,
and mix them well with the sauce. Add the seasoning. Turn the mixture
in the shape of a mound on to a plate, and garnish it with hard-cooked
eggs or thin slices of tomato.

DANDELION AND HORSE-RADISH GREENS

Cook one part of young, tender horse-radish leaves with three parts of
dandelion leaves until they are tender. Drain off the water. Cut the
leaves, and season them with salt, pepper, and butter. Serve them with a
border of stuffed baked potato.

FlG. 15. DANDELION GREENS AND POTATO BALLS

STUFFED BAKED POTATO

Bake potatoes of uniform size. Cut them in halves crosswise. Remove
the pulp, mash it, and season it with salt, paprika, and hot milk or cream.
Heap the mixture in the potato shells, leaving the tops rough. Brush
the tops with melted butter, and brown them in the oven.

DANDELION GREENS AND POTATO BALLS

Cook potato balls in just enough boiling salted water to cover them.
Season them with butter. Arrange the potato balls in a nest of greens
that have been chopped and seasoned with salt, pepper, and butter, and
shake paprika over the top. Garnish the dish with egg rings.

Dandelions as Food

85

DANDELION GREENS WITH BACON

2 tablespoonfuls butter 1 tablespoonful onion juice

1 cupful bread crumbs 1 tablespoonful vinegar or lemon

1 pint cooked and chopped greens juice

Salt and pepper

Brown the crumbs slightly in the melted butter, add the greens and the
remaining ingredients. When the mixture is hot, form it into a loaf on a
plate, garnish it with slices of hard-cooked egg, and place slices of broiled
bacon over the top.

DANDELIONS WITH RICE BORDER

Season one pint of boiled rice with salt, butter, and paprika. Add one
well-beaten egg, and fill small buttered molds with the mixture. Set the
molds in a pan of hot water, cover them with oiled paper, and bake the rice

FlG. l6. DANDELION GREENS WITH RICE BORDER

until it is firm. Form a mound of chopped cooked greens, well seasoned
with salt, pepper, and butter. Arrange the rice molds as a border, and
sprinkle them with grated cheese.

WILTED DANDELIONS

Prepare tender leaves and stems of the dandelion, and arrange them on
a plate. Add very thin slices of onion. Cut slices of bacon in small
pieces, and broil them until they are crisp. Add boiled salad dressing to
the bacon, and when the mixture is hot and smooth, pour it over the dan-
delions and onion. Serve the dish immediately.

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DANDELION SANDWICH FILLING

Mince fresh dandelion leaves and stems very fine, and add onion juice,
celery salt, salt, and pepper for seasoning. Add sufficient salad dressing to

FlG. 17. SANDWICHES WITH DANDELION FILLING

make the mixture of the right consistency, and spread it between slices
of buttered bread.

DANDELION SALAD

RECIPE I

2 cupfuls chopped cooked dande- 1 canned sweet red pepper, cut in

lion greens small pieces

2 radishes, sliced thin Salt and pepper

Salad dressing

Mix the ingredients, and serve the salad on lettuce or fresh dandelion
leaves.

RECIPE 11

2 cupfuls cooked dandelions, chop- 4 small sweet pickles

ped fine | lemon, juice and grated rind

1 onion, medium sized Salt and pepper

1 canned sweet red pepper

Mix the ingredients well, and press the mixture firmly into small molds.
Turn it from the molds on to lettuce or fresh dandelion leaves. Garnish
the salad with thin slices of lemon flecked with paprika, and serve it with
boiled or French dressing.

Dandelions as Food

DANDELION AND COTTAGE CHEESE SALAD

To one pint of minced dandelion leaves add enough well-seasoned cot-
tage cheese to bind the mixture together. Shape the mixture into small
balls, and serve it on dandelion leaves that have been covered with oil and
vinegar for at least half an hour. Serve the salad with boiled dressing.

DANDELION AND CUCUMBER SALAD

Prepare the tender young leaves of the dandelion, and add one cucum-
ber, pared, chilled, and cut into one-half-inch cubes. Serve the salad
with oil dressing.

EGG AND DANDELION SALAD

Cut hard-cooked eggs in halves lengthwise, and remove the yolks.
Cut tender dandelion leaves into small pieces, add one small onion, minced,
and the yolks of the eggs. Mix the ingredients well with boiled salad
dressing, and fill the whites of the eggs with the mixture. Serve the eggs
around a mound of lettuce or dandelion leaves, or arrange them in a nest
of the leaves.

Fig. i 8. egg and dandelion salad

DANDELION AND APPLE SALAD

Cut tender young leaves of the dandelion in small pieces. Add an
equal quantity of tart apple cut in cubes, and one teaspoonful of celery
salt. Mix the salad well with either boiled or oil dressing, and serve it
on dandelion leaves.

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DANDELION JELLY SALAD

2 tablespoonfuls gelatin 5 tablespoonfuls vinegar

\ cupful cold water 1 teaspoonful salt

2 cupfuls hot water \ teaspoonful paprika

4 tablespoonfuls sugar 1 small onion, sliced thin

\ teaspoonful celery salt 1 canned sweet red pepper, minced

1 teaspoonful onion juice 1 cupful inner tender leaves of dan-

1 hard-cooked egg delion

Soak the gelatin until soft in the cold water. Dissolve it in the hot
water. Add all the other ingredients except the egg, and mix them together
well. Cut the white of the egg in rings, and arrange them around the edge

FlG. 19. DANDELION JELLY SALAD

of a mold that has been rinsed with cold water. Pour the mixture into the
mold and chill it until the jelly is firm. Turn the jelly from the mold,
garnish it with fresh dandelion leaves, and serve it with salad dressing.

DANDELION AND TOMATO JELLY SALAD

1 tablespoonful gelatin 1 teaspoonful sugar
\ cupful cold water Salt and pepper

2 cupfuls hot strained tomatoes 1 cupful dandelion leaves, minced
1 teaspoonful onion juice very fine

\ teaspoonful celery salt

Soak the gelatin until soft in the cold water. Dissolve it in the hot
tomato juice, and add the other ingredients. Stir the mixture well, and
pour it into small molds, which have been rinsed in cold water.

Dandelions as Food

89.

i quart tender, inner dandelion 2 tablespoonfuls vinegar

leaves § teaspoonful paprika

4 tablespoonfuls salad oil § teaspoonful salt

Chill the dandelion leaves. When they are crisp, shred them slightly,
and marinate them for half an hour by covering them with the dressing
made by thoroughly mixing the remaining ingredients. Then arrange
the leaves on a plate, and turn the tomato jelly on to the bed of leaves.
Place about one tablespoonful of boiled salad dressing on the top of each
mold of jelly. Serve the dressed dandelion with the jelly.

BOILED SALAD DRESSING

Yolks of 3 eggs, beaten slightly \ teaspoonful paprika
\ cupful sugar \ teaspoonful salt

1 teaspoonful mustard 1 cupful vinegar

Combine the ingredients in the order given. Cook the mixture in a
double boiler, stirring it constantly, until it is smooth and thick. Use the
dressing with equal parts of whipped cream.

OIL DRESSING

1 teaspoonful mustard 2 tablespoonfuls lemon juice or

\ teaspoonful salt vinegar
1 teaspoonful powdered sugar Yolk of 1 egg

I teaspoonful paprika 1 cupful salad oil

Mix the dry ingredients, add the acid, and stir the mixture well. Beat
the egg yolk, and add the oil slowly, stirring the mixture constantly. As
the mixture thickens, thin it with the vinegar or lemon juice. Continue
to add the oil and the acid, alternately. The dressing should be smooth
and stiff enough to hold its shape. It should be added to a salad just
before serving.

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CORNELL READING COURSE FOR THE FARM

HOME

The lessons available in the Cornell Reading Course for the Farm Home
are as follows and are free to residents of New York State :

1 1 The laundry

13 Cornell study clubs

15 Principles of jelly-making

17 The preservation of food in the
home. — Part I

19 The preservation of food in the
home. — Part II

2 1 The preservation of food in the
home. — Part III

23 Rules for cleaning

25 Saving strength

27 Choice and care of utensils

29 Cost of food

3 1 Household bacteriology

33 Vegetable-gardening

3 5 The flower garden

37 Home economics at the New
York State College of Agri-
culture

39 The farmhouse

41 Rules for planning the family
dietary

43 The box luncheon

45 Hints on choosing textiles

47 A canning business for the
farm home

49 Household insects and meth-
ods of control

51 A story of certain table fur-
nishings

53 The Christmas festival

55 Rice and rice cookery

57 A syllabus of lessons for ex-
tension schools in home
economics

59 Sewage disposal for country
homes

61 Attic dust and treasures •
63 The young woman on the
farm

65 Farmhouse amusements for
girls and boys

67 Canning clubs in New York
State. — Part I. Organiza-
tion

69 Canning clubs in New York
State. — Part II. Principles
and methods of canning

71 Canning clubs in New York
State. — Part III. Canning
equipment

73 Making cake. — Part I

77 Songs that live

79 Programs for use in study
clubs

81 Potatoes in the dietary

83 Raising vegetables for canning

85 The arrangement of household

furnishings
87 The decorative use of flowers
89 Beans and similar vegetables

as food

91 The life of primitive woman
93 Farm home demonstration

schools

95 The fireless cooker and its uses

Dandelions as Food

91

99 Programs for study clubs in 103 Suggestions for the health of

home economics children
10 1 Waste of meat in the home. 105 Dandelions as food.
— Part I

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